One of the first things that any driving instructor teaches new drivers is how important it is to constantly check your rear view mirrors. Knowing what is going on all around you, they say, is crucial for surviving on the roads. David Bartlett on the other hand, haunted by career-threatening poll results and grim internal focus group results, doesn’t want voters to look backwards before election day. Instead, he wants us to believe that amnesia is a virtue when it comes to the outgoing Labor administration.

In his first speech to the media after calling the March 20 election, one of Bartlett’s most commonly used words was “forward”—“look forward”, “go forward”, “going forward”, “take Tasmania forward”, “forward-looking”, and “keep Tasmania moving forward”. Sometimes forward was also used with the word “momentum” such as “maintain Tasmania’s forward momentum”, “we face the very real risk of losing that monetum” [sic],. Then there were variations on the theme such as “never before has the State been so well-positioned to take advantage of the great opportunities that lie before it” and “Tasmanians can vote to go forward with jobs growth and better public services under Labor”.

The other key goal of Bartlett’s speech was to try and position the Liberals as backward looking. Bartlett, keen to try and quarantine the fallout from a string of scandals that have unravelled throughout the Bacon, Lennon and Bartlett administrations, told journalists that “I predict my opponent will spend most of this campaign talking about the past.” But Bartlett wanted to do a little talking about the past himself. Elect the Liberals, he warned, and we will “go backwards to the failed and discredited policies Tasmania’s past with the Liberals.” A vote for the Liberals, he claimed, would be a vote for “high debt, privatisation, cuts to public services and high unemployment.”

It is a ambitious ploy - part pitched to Tasmanian voters but more aimed at the assembled journalists. Bartlett hopes that if he can effectively have journalists accept the “forward” “backwards” frames, then their reporting of the election campaign will focus on the avalanche of spending decisions his campaign has planned and downplay Bartlett administration scandals. It is also premised on the nonsensical idea that Labor doesn’t support privatisation and cuts to the public service.

Nor is trying to sell the idea that the actions of the Liberals from over a decade ago were bad or worse than Labor’s actions a sure fire bet. Harking back to a Liberal government of the mid-1990’s is unlikely to resonate with many first and even second-time voters, let alone the numerous people who have to Tasmania in the last decade.

As with his January 31 “Building a Strong Tasmania” speech Bartlett felt the need to offer up one more mea culpa, but with a positive twist. “Only Labor is willing to admit when mistakes are made and to move to fix them. We have shown that we are prepared to listen to the community and then take action,” he said.

It is an audacious but most likely doomed bid to turn public revulsion at government initiated screw ups into a positive. After all, most people will remember enough about the numerous scandals to know that the government has only responded after there has been a public reaction spurred either by citizens, community groups, the media or opposition parties. With memories of government scandals so vivid in the memory of voting Tasmanians, the risk for Labor is that the “forwards” “backwards” dichotomy will backfire.

It is likely that many will respond to Bartlett’s pitch extolling the virtues of political amnesia on Labor’s decisions as simply a request to vote for a government that will keep on screwing up ‘going forward’. In this context, going ‘backward’ may seem appealing to many voters weary of a government that can barely go a month without more revelations of backroom wheeling and dealing that have become the hallmark of the last four years.

The Liberals and Greens likely counterpoint to Bartlett’s ‘forwards’/‘backwards’ framing will be to stress their vision of “going forward” without a majority Labor government.

A rare viewing of the idiot box last night saw adverts prepared long ago by team LIBLAB, carefully designed to hoodwink voters, but all it did for me was to make me feel physically sick.

Good god…..here’s hoping the masses will be able to look past football, horse racing, the pokies and any other distraction long enough to dump this alliance into the long drop of political history.

Today in the Zadge, is a story of Bartlett and his “battles” as a child….if you click the link, I’m sure a full orchestra of violins will swing into action and there will be babies with tears rolling down their cheeks….

What will Will come up with to counter the tug at the heart strings, so Pavlovian…..perhaps he will wash the feet of some lepers, perhaps sleep under a bridge with the homeless…..

Meanwhile money pours into these childish campaigns like it is going out of style…..

Promises abound, but carefully watch how politicians lie when their lips are moving…..

Posted by Dave Groves on 13/02/10 at 07:17 AM

Why is it that often when anyone on this site criticises the Labor Government certain people tell us that that is what the majority wanted because that is the way that the votes added up, however, in the event of a hung parliament suddenly what the people want as shown by their votes no longer matters? Talk about double standards.

Posted by Bonni Hall on 13/02/10 at 07:28 AM

History should be a great teacher, the mistakes and successes of the past charting that way forward. There are of course times when the lessons of history seem hard to apply as new situations unfold. In that case it should fall on principles drawn from history to measure the political offers.

As Bartlett pitches for a chance to go forward 2 old stagers are apparently offering themselves up as part of the team, David Llewellyn, the Minister for Everything and Michael Polley, the Speaker of the House.

Polley’s political career has been longer than Llewellyn’s and both are Labor Members from the electorate of Lyons.

The voters must ask themselves how long will these 2 stay on in the Parliament after they have drawn their loyal voters into the Labor fold.

Both are important factional players who have directed the Tasmanian Parliamentary Labor Party to the point it is at today.

If they retire soon after the poll new Members wil be elected from the rest of the Labor team through a countback.

One cannot imagine them staying on to loyally serve on one of the oppositions as Michael Hodgman did. Bartlett will, if he gets a team of new faces, want to make the generational shift sooner rather than later, especially if talent just failed in Lyons.

Is this defrauding the voters?

They will have to judge, but in doing so the evidence of long service, age and Bartlett’s desire for change are all there for the jury poll on the complex case of the 11 years of the Labor Government’s performance on the 20th of March.

On the matter of the timing of the announcement of the woodchip fire sale one has to acknowledge the important timing in retaining the votes of the timber community. They must also ask for how long will this extraordinary good luck continue and what is the plan for downsizing the industry with dignity as it moves to a plantation base.

The take from the forest cannot double and Forest Stewardship Council Certification be gained without more agricultural land being converted to plantations unless the plantation grown fibre is imported.

So either the forest industry in the bush shrinks or agriculture does.

Funnily enough the challenge of not daring to look backwards, caused an instant Lennon backwards/forwards flashback …. to the Mercury article by Sue Neales on the 2nd June 2007…

“Time for a rethink after shocker year”. … and a few comments made by the then Premier, Paul Lennon.

Interesting how times have ‘changed’ in Labors buzz word room. The ‘flash point’, according to Lennon, the secret to this blazing, brazen, boldly going where no decent government would dare to go was … ‘change’ … or that was the basic forward thrust labor word back then anyway….

“And then just as quickly as we got to where we were (in terms of progress), we fall back again, almost as if we had to find the ladder all over again.” (Paul Lennon)

“ The Premier said he sensed Tasmania was facing just such a watershed in the next few years, which could see the state move either back or forwards.” (Mercury)

“I sense that in a few different areas, we are at that flash point.” (Paul Lennon)

“…the real challenges of the future lie, according to the Premier, trying to get people to accept change is inevitable and not to be feared.” (Mercury)

“I raise this because it is the fear of change and the apprehension that people have about what it is going to be like tomorrow when they are not so convinced about something, that is the real challenge for us as a government,” (Paul Lennon)

“When you are in this process of major change, there are times, when it reaches a flash point and I think we are at one of those times right now.” (Paul Lennon)

Well his timing was a bit off, but hey the message is patently clear now … don’t fear the change!

Posted by Charles Gilmour on 13/02/10 at 08:34 AM

The Labor Party should appoint a campaign mascot, who can appear in support of their forward vision campaign.

Someone a bit cartoonish. Who can evoke the ethos and achievements of the past Labor administration in voters minds and wind this into the glorious vision of the Bartlett future.

I nominate Bryan Green.

Ben Quin

Posted by Ben Quin on 13/02/10 at 08:45 AM

Yes, please, lets have more of bryan Green. The more the better.

Posted by Simon Warriner on 13/02/10 at 03:02 PM

The danger with Green now is that once caught second time cleverer. Any trail will be almost invisible.

That way you’d get to see all the nodding, smiley men with their knives raised, eh, Barty?

Posted by amyb on 13/02/10 at 05:22 PM

I nominate Sturges for the position, Ben - his name does evoke an image of what most of us think of our unbeloved government.

Posted by salamander on 13/02/10 at 08:33 PM

Thats right “don’t look back” this way you won’t see the boot

Posted by Bruce on 14/02/10 at 06:58 AM

It seems it is OK, with David Bartlett to look back on what the liberals did or didn’t do…but don’t look back on the corruption, nepotism, jobs for the boys, payoffs etc with his gov’t. I know who I am voting for and it certainly won’t be the Lab/lib/gunns/federal coalition.

Posted by Concerned Resident on 14/02/10 at 10:46 AM

An election has been called in Tassie and we are offered the choice between the leaders of the two main parties, Gunnslicker 1, David (Sleazy Weasel) Bartlett and Gunnslicker 2, Will (Wee Willie) Hodgman. All a bit sad really.

Posted by Andrew Neeson on 14/02/10 at 01:38 PM

Dear David

Expect to be rejected
by a disillusioned electorate
in March
we just roll our eyes
now
and snicker
at the plume of
implausible promises
woven on a spinning machine
warped by your nervous
desperation

it no longer matters
how you gift wrap
your words,
we no longer
believe them

Posted by Anne Layton-Bennett on 14/02/10 at 02:14 PM

Car stickers anyone? Let’s start a contest.

‘Lab and Lib are obscene.
I’m going to vote Green.’

‘Vote Gunns or vote Green.’

‘Even with only half a brain
You cannot vote for them again.’

Forget the legend
Look at the truth.

Pulp Mill poisons turn people Green.

Over to you…

Posted by Mike Adams on 14/02/10 at 02:57 PM

Re # 13,

There is a lot more to choose from than the LabLib/Gunns coalition.
What about the Greens and independents running in this election?
I don’t think it’s sad at all, on the contrary, we have the opportunity to put this beautiful state back in the hands of people who really care about the majority, not just the fortunes of the top end of town.
If we don’t get rid of the current gutter dwelling swill we can only blame ourselves.

Posted by Jack Nimble on 14/02/10 at 04:20 PM

Don’t look back!

Put your blinkers on folks, that last thirteen years means nothing. It’s like our accounting, we only count the positives!

That might be good advice for Bartlett himself, because behind him there are a whole range of demons just waiting to pounce.